How to Challenge the Life Women Resiliency in Acehnese Matrilocal System: Philological and Anthropological Approaches

: The matrilocal system has had a positive effect on women in Aceh. This system has enabled them to become more resilient in facing life's challenges for themselves, their families, and their communities. This study is a qualitative study with philological and anthropological approaches used to study Acehnese manuscripts that are relevant to the theme of matrilocality. In-depth interviews, manuscript studies, and observations were also conducted to understand matrilocality practices in Aceh, particularly in the Pidie regions. In this way, historical and empirical knowledge of Aceh's matrilocal system is obtained. It was found that the matrilocal system had raised the status enthusiasm and resilience of Acehnese women in wading through life as individuals, family members, and part of Acehnese society. Philologically, historically, and anthropologically a harmonious life is seen in the matrilocal system, Acehnese women make it possible to face life's challenges, such as raising children for a successful life; maintaining good communication with parents, neighbors, and the community; and managing household finances. This diversity of matrilocal traditions can contribute to the status and resilience of women in the Indonesian nation-state


Introduction
Despite their limited access to the outside world, Acehnese women could be observed to be resilient in their family and community.Historically, they were even known as state leaders and independence fighters. 1Famous names such as Ratu Tajul Alam Safiyatuddin and Ratu Kamalatuddin were but two female figures who led the Acehnese state in the 18th century against a variety of obstacles. 2Similarly, Cut Nyak Dhien and Cut Meutia were staunch independence fighters against the Dutch colonialists in the 19th century.These four women stood tall in the memories of Indonesians to date as a proof of Acehnese women's mettle. 3tudies which examined matrilocality in Aceh so far tended to discuss it from the perspectives of prevailing tradition and Acehnese character.According to the first perspective, Acehnese women, especially in Pidie, are required to stay at home with the women's family after marriage to obtain knowledge from their parents in preparation of an independent living in the future. 4According to the second perspective, Acehnese women are known to have an unyielding character in the face of challenges.Malahayati, for example, was renowned for her ability mobilize invite inong balee (widows) to take up arms against the Dutch. 5n terms of approach, matrilocality in Aceh has often been researched sociologically and anthropologically. 6In addition to these approaches, this paper contributes to the literature by also employing textual and historical approaches to gain a fuller picture of Aceh's matrilocality.Manuscripts were examined, observations were performed, and interviews were conducted to fulfill this purpose.
In addition, the core question of this paper is how matrilocality could 1471 strengthen women's reis in Aceh.There are three aspects to this question: (1) the history of matrilocality in Aceh; (2) the current practice of matrilocality in Aceh; and (3) the implications of matrilocality for Acehnese women and their families.The answers to this question are expected to contribute to gender studies and the resilience of the Indonesian nation and state.
The study of matrilocality is founded on three elements.First, the Acehnese tradition of women staying at their parents' house after marriage.Such is the strength of this tradition that it is deemed a disgrace when it is not followed.Second, some parents' property passes to their daughters when they are deemed ready to separate themselves from their parents.Third, women are protected fully as members of Acehnese society.These three elements have been passed on from generation to generation that they have become the defining character of life among Acehnese women.

Matrilocality
Matrilocality is a familiar concept in studies dealing with familial and marital relations.One of its essence is the residence of a newlywed couple under the same roof or side-by-side with the wife's family. 7This practice is more or less influenced by matriarchal power. 8However, it could change and develop according to local traditions.A case in China showed that these changes occurred due to the perceived costs and benefits of its practice, as well as the influence of other families' lifestyle in the community. 9ost-marital residence is an important aspect of human social organization. 10In a matrilocal system, there are two possibilities: learning from parents or direct involvement of parents.Matrilocal practices could change of Indonesia's National Long-Term Development Plan (Rencana Pembangunan Jangka Panjang/RPJP) for the period 2000-2025.
According to 21 Resiliency gives power to the powerless.The dimensions of Resiliency are personal control, identity, joint decision making, and the involvement of other parties.22 There needs to be a topdown power transfer from the powerful to the powerless.23 In the context of women, women must actively involve in any aspect of life either as actors and agents of change by paying attention to their self-esteem, awareness, level of selfconfidence, decision making, or work status in the economy. 24The United Nation has also stated that to realize women's status and gender equality, women need wider access to public economic spaces.25

Women's Status in Manuscripts
Women's status is defined as the degree of access and control women have over material and social resources in the family, community, and society in general. 26In addition, women's status is related to property rights 27 as well as the involvement of women in society, which could take place in domestic life, family life, national development, public education and the economy. 28Women's status is considered important for women's achievement, opportunity, participation and role. 29As a concept, women's status is often used interchangeably with other The Open Anatomy Journal, (2010).Linda A. Bean, Lara Ianov, and Thomas C. Foster, "Estrogen  Receptors, the Hippocampus, and Memory," Neuroscientist 20, no. 5 (2014) 1474 terms which have equivalent meanings such as women's autonomy, women's dependence, women's rights, and gender inequality.Currently, women' status is clearly increasing, but not sufficiently. 30 number of views, information, and traditions regarding women's status could be found in manuscripts, 31 such as in Syair Siti Islam and Siti Latifah.In these manuscripts, women possess rights and responsibilities which have been accorded to them by the community. 32Nasir 33 and Sastrawati 34 stated that the interpretation of religious and socio-cultural texts had constructed the meaning of women's identity based on ethnicity and class to promote traditional and noble values.Hence, socio-cultural ties and noble values frame women's status in terms of how women could be involved in private and public life.
Using an anthropological approach, this study examined manuscript and local practice related to matrilocality in Aceh.Philological approach was used to obtain data from the manuscripts, focusing on matrilocal knowledge and practice.Pidie was chosen as the research location due its extensive practice of the matrilocal system in Aceh.Here, an anthropological approach was used to examine the matrilocal practice of the Pidie society.Direct observation was conducted to get a broad picture of the current tradition prevailing in Pidie.
Unstructured interviews were conducted to obtain in-depth information from the informants, who were directed to tell their stories freely according to their experience.The informants were determined through a rigorous selection process with the following criteria.First, they have knowledge of Pidie customs and religions.Second, their family members practice matrilocality.Third, both men and women were interviewed to obtain balanced information.
Five manuscripts were chosen for data collection: (1) Siti Islam, kept by the late Ampun Hasballah, a Pidie resident; (2) Siti Khazanah, kept at the Centre for Documentation and Information; (3) Banta Lila, kept at Indonesian National Library; (4) Siti Latifah, kept at the Aceh Museum; (5) Hikayat Ranto, kept at the Leiden University Library with the code Or. 8057.For the last manuscript, only the translated copy was examined as the physical copy was inaccessible due to it 1475 being in a distant foreign country.
The data were analyzed and interpreted to see their relationship in terms of matrilocality.Contextualization and comparison were then made with several other regions in Aceh.Matrilocality has been built and practiced in Acehnese society, particularly among those living in Pidie.Pidie's matrilocality concept has three main characters.First, there is a tradition of newly married women staying in their parents' homes, with the corollary that newly married women are not allowed to follow their husbands.Second, when women separate from their parents and start their own families, they inherit wealth.When their families are considered to be established, parents will give their daughters permission to be completely independent of the nuclear family.Parents would provide them with a sum of money deemed sufficient to keep their daughters and their families out of poverty.Third, both their parents and families provide institutional protection for daughters to ensure that they live a secure life.The surrounding family and community have always been fully supportive of this tradition.The following section provides a more detailed explanation of the concepts, practices, and implications of matrilocality.

Customs of Staying at Parent's House after Marriage
Upon being married, a darabaro (Pidie term for newlywed wife) is not allowed to leave her parents' house until she is deemed self-sufficient in her family life.She is not allowed to live with the lintabaro's (Pidie term for newlywed husband) family.Instead, the husband must go to live with his wife's family for an indefinite period.
There are three reasons for this practice by the Pidie community.First, the Qur'anic verse: Settle in your homes, and do not display yourselves as women did in the days of ˹pre-Islamic˺ ignorance.Establish prayer, pay alms-tax, and obey Allah and His Messenger.Allah only intends to keep ˹the causes of˺ evil away from you and purify you completely, O members of the ˹Prophet's˺ family (Al  Ahzab: 33).
The Pidie community believes that according to this verse, the best place for women is home, managing the house for guests wisely and dutifully.Parents should educate their daughters in this guest management.A husband is the ultimate guest who must be served well.
Second, in Acehnese tradition, upon marriage a wife is called prumoh (house owner) by her husband.Third, the wife gets the full protection of her parents and family.These three reasons are interconnected and mutually supportive of each other in Acehnese tradition.Souces: Manuscripts Siti Latifah, Siti Islam, Banta Lila, and Hikayat Ranto, 2019.
From Table 1, two status of women could be seen.First, as a host manages her house.Second, as an owner who protects her house, educates her children, maintains her honor, and obeys her husband and parents.All these tasks are expected to lead to a harmonious family in which the husband is content and the children are thriving such that they could participate actively in the public sphere.
Hurgronje 35 has recorded the tradition of matrilocality in Aceh, especially in Pidie, in the Dutch colonial times.This tradition is still practiced today, especially in rural areas.However, marriages to people of different ethnic groups and the necessity to work outside Pidie or Aceh are slowly changing this tradition.In some cases, parents had to allow their daughters to accompany their husbands 1477 to other areas. 36he Aceh matrilocal system influenced family life in two ways.First, wives become house owners, their husbands guests in their parents' house.Second, men's domain is outside of the house, to the point that they have to to migrate out of their village to earn a living for their family.This system naturally provides space for women to nurture their strength both in the home and in the public sphere.
The data from the following manuscript provide a clear picture in this regard.The Malem Dagang manuscript states that: "jak lèh tawoe nibak bunda, … ka tok geuwoe ubak bunda, lawet lawan teuma dudoe, maté putroe deungön raja mupakat dum uleebalang, putroe sudang geubôh keuraja, Tajoi Alam Sapiyatudin… peutimang nanggroe mat neuraca, hukom pih kreuh nibak dilè, bacut han meu peu meuriba, Nyang mumukah dum geugasi, nyang pancuri geuculek mata, padum lawet dudoe akhe, oh rab mate po teu raja, neutinggai wasiet neuyue gantoe droe peutimang nanggroe Kalamat Cah bèk ta ubah kuseurapa."(Go home to mother's house, … upon arrival there, returning later, the king died and the ministers gathered, the princess was appointed queen, Tajul Alam Sapiyatuddin… managed the state, holding power, her law more stringent than before, no mistakes were allowed, many powerful people were bothered, thieves were punished justly, after a while, when the queen almost died, she left a will that says that the state rule according to the Kalamat be unchanged to prevent damnation). 37his text contains three main messages about the role of women at home and in the public sphere.First, it was stated that if a woman wanted to meet her mother, she should return home.Second, Princess Tajul Alam Sapiyatudin was appointed ruler by consensus of state leaders.Third, the Princess led the Acehnese state successfully, upholding truth and justice.

Property Ownership Rights from Parents (Peunulang)
When a married Acehnese woman living in her parents' house could be seen to manage her house and her family properly, she is given property (peunulang) to be able to live separately from her parents.This property is in the form of a house and paddy field or farm, in exchange for the gold dowry given earlier to the parents by her.The nominal value of the parents' property given to How To Challenge the Life Women Resiliency Fakhriati, et.al.DOI: 10.22373/sjhk.v7i3.187971478 her usually exceeds the nominal value of her dowry. 38eunulang property is given in a variety of ways.In Pidie, it is given entirely to women, exchanged with their dowry as elaborated above.In Aceh Besar, it comes from their share of inheritance, not dowry. 39The difference is due to the varying interpretation of verse 4 of the An-Nisa chapter of the Qur'an.The Acehnese in Pidie understood this verse through the filter of tradition.As a result, the dowry amount here is high. 40Another variation is in Singkil of South Aceh, where peunulang property is given to men, as women are considered unable to manage it. 41he peunulang property distribution in Pidie strongly influences the survival of women and their families.It enables them to stay with their family even when they have their own house.In the case of marital dispute or divorce, the husband is the one who has to leave the house. 42The husband has no right whatsoever to the wife's peunulang property. 43

Matrilocality as an Institution
In Pidie particularly, and Aceh generally, women are protected institutionally by their family and community.This is based on verse 33 of the An-Nur chapter in the Qur'an which states that women must cover themselves for reasons of modesty and safety.It is stated that women ideally should stay at home to avoid crimes and harm: leumah thoughts putroe diamond, ie seumayang jijak tueung lé, Cut putroe beut Quru'an -mangat tatôb hatè sore (when thoughts consume women -she takes an ablution, then reads the Qur'an -to calm her wounded hearts". 44n the Hikayat Rantau manuscript, it is stated that a woman is protected by her husband and his family, her parents, and society at large.From her husband, the woman is given full financial support.The husband is expected to earn a living for his wife, children, and parents.In Pidie, it has become a tradition and an institution that husbands seek work outside their village to the north and southeast areas.Her husband's family would give permission for her to live with her parents during this time.1479 From her parents, the woman is fully supported to stay at their parents' house.Her mother and sister would also encourage her husband to migrate for work.Table 2 summarizes the role played by each party in protecting the woman.Adakna tapeugah bak isteuri, galak that jibri po tabungka han jipura meung theun langkah (If we tell the wife, the wife will let go her husband to migrate, she will not try to stop him) p. 17 How To Challenge the Life Women Resiliency Fakhriati, et.al.DOI: 10.22373/sjhk.v7i3Table 2 shows how the wife's actor, the husband's mother-in-law, the husband's biological mother, and the husband support one another in order for the daughter and her husband's family to become more stable.Both the wife's domestic responsibilities and the husband's responsibilities outside the home are devoted to the welfare of the family.Institutionally, the assistance is intended to ensure that women and their families have a decent life.Furthermore, institutional support has influenced family politics in two ways that benefit women and their families.The first is the development of a long-lasting and close bond within the family and among their offspring, which tends to foster a stronger sense of sympathy toward the women's families.Because wives live in their parents' homes, their children become acquainted with their family first.Members of the family who assist and communicate with a wife shortly after she has given birth to a child are her biological mother and members of her own family.Communication with the husband's family would begin only after that. 45Second, 1482 the relationship with the husband's family has deteriorated.When a husband is forced to leave his wife and children to migrate in order to find work and support his family, he indirectly contributes to his family's estrangement. 46rom the above results, it could be seen that the matrilocal tradition is maintained in Aceh by three basic principles: (1) adherence to religion; (2) protection of women; (3) requirement of men to migrate for work to earn a living.This tradition is implemented by requiring newlywed Acehnese women to live at their parents' house, and giving them property after they are deemed ready to live independently.
For Indonesia, the tradition is a source of strength as women are deemed to be the source of life.Hence, the position of women in the family is very important and special.Harmony in the family is a source of harmony in society, as the family members could then play their role effectively in public.A similar tradition is the Dewi Sri mythology, the goddess of rice and fertility. 47he matrilocal tradition in Pidie has been adapted to suit the current condition, 48 similar to the matrilocal traditions in the Mekong Delta and Indian Meghalaya regions. 49A seemingly capitalist spirit could also be seen in the economic migration demanded by a wife's family to her husbands.
A possible negative effect of the matrilocal tradition is the dependence of a woman upon her family. 50However, this dependence is only for a limited amount of time as the woman is actually being prepared by her family to live independently, capable of managing her household by herself as a preumoh, as the Acehnese calls her in this state. 51his study contributes to the literature in at least two ways.First, it showed that Islam and tradition are intertwined in the matrilocal tradition of Aceh, with a 1483 focus in Pidie. 52Second, it acts like a contrast with the matrilocal tradition of other regions, such as the Minangkabau region 53 in Indonesia, or Indian and African regions historically related to Indonesia, especially Aceh and Pidie. 54The matrilocal tradition in these three countries prioritize women over men, boosting their self-confidence and thus self-efficacy, 55 and in turn their family's health and education. 56The women are enabled to deal directly and positively with problems, not avoiding and running away from them. 57he matrilocal tradition of Pidie and Aceh is a lesson for the Indonesian nation.A woman is strong and powerful when she is given the opportunity to develop herself through the prevailing traditions. 58She and her family could thus contribute their best to the nation in their private and public life.

Conclusion
Instead of weakening women's position and making them dependent on their parents, it could be seen that the matrilocal tradition has enabled women to deal with life's challenges, such as: (1) raising children for a successful life; (2) maintaining good communication with their parents, neighbors and community; as well as (2) managing household finances.They have the time and support they need to grow into all these roles while living with their parents.This research has uncovered the concept of matrilocality both historically and empirically.Data from manuscripts, observation, and interviews were analyzed and integrated to examine the Acehnese matrilocal system, especially in the Pidie region.A continuity in the system could be seen, which has enabled Acehnese women to perform as private and public roles in the past and the present.Further research laen adoe ulee jemari (If you do not bring the red cloth and foot ring, you will be hated.Likewise, the ring should be on the wife's finger)